What Are You Listening To?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SARA BAREILLES "little voice" cd 2007

career stats:
studio albums.......4
singles................10

this album.....................#7 US...#49 AU...#9 UK...#26 NZ
singles:
"love song"....................#4 US....#4 AU...#4 UK.....#7 NZ...#1 CAN
"bottle it up"..................no chart action
"gravity".................................................. ...........#27 NZ

second album by Sara....
I have three of hers, but not her debut....
nice piano based pop songs on all her albums...
has a bit of a Ricki-Lee Jones quality in her vocals at times....
this appears to be her biggest selling album with her biggest selling worldwide hit("love song") on it....
cool album as are the other two I own...

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: morningside
best track: love song

[video=youtube;T3560rtbW6E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3560rtbW6E[/video]

tracks:

1...love song ***
2...vegas **
3...one sweet love **
4...bottle it up **
5...come round soon ***
6...morningside *
7...between the lines *
8...love on the rocks **
9...city *
10.many the miles **
11.fairytale ***
12.gravity ***

3s=4
2s=5
1s=3

rating: 2.1

[CRAZY-HORSE]

TEARS FOR FEARS "colour collection" cd, 2006

career stats:
studio albums.......6
singles...............30

international #1 hits....

"shout"............................................#1 US...#1 AU...#1 CAN..#1 NZ...#1 GER...#1 NL
"everybody wants to rule the world"....#1`US...............#1 CAN
"sowing the seeds of love"..........................................#1 CAN

Strange that a UK New-Wave/synth-pop ground would not have a #1 hit in their homeland but manage three in Canada and two in the US?????
I was hesitant when not only playing this one but purchasing it also because a lot of the UK synth=pop/New Wavestuff dated really bad over the
decades IMO(and that comes from one who spent their formative teen years in that era...
luckily for me though, most of these tracks sound pretty fresh today, the drum synths and programming still sound cool, even the vocals sound fresh...
my favourite track of theirs was always their Sgt.Pepper'y "sowing the seeds of love", that still has not changed...man those guys had balls to emulate
the Beatles,especially just a few years after John'smeurde, the fact Beatlemania was still big in the UK and Paul was still scoring top10 hits out there...
album/compilation contains most of their top20 UK hits from the 1980s-early 1990s, some of which i'd never heard prior to this collection finding its way into my
cd family....some of those track id never hear previously, well, I love them others could do with several more spins in the player like "woman in chains", that one is growing on me with each listen(nice recommendation Ruby....its getting there girl!)
all up a pleasantly good collection of songs by a band labelled with being 1980s synth=pop!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: last famous words
best track: sowing the seeds of love

[video=youtube;VAtGOESO7W8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAtGOESO7W8[/video]

tracks:

1...break it down again ***
2...shout **
3...goodnight song **
4...bad mans song ***
5...power ***
6...cold **
7...dog's a best friends dog **
8...swords and knives *
9...famous last words *
10.mothers talk **
11.head over heels **
12.advice for the young at heart **
13.everybody wants to rule the world ***
14.sowing the seeds of love ***
15.woman in chains **

3s=5
2s=8
1s=2

rating: 2.2

[CRAZY-HORSE]

BOY "mutual friends" cd, 2012

career stats:
studio albums............2
singles......................5

this album................no chart success
singles:
"little numbers"............no chart success
"waitress"....................no chart success
"drive darling"..............no chart success
"this is the beginning"...no chart success

debut album from this Swiss/German pop duo....
no 'boys; in this group, theyre both female....
I only got this one because I wanted to get something I had not heard previously but was listed on those
end of year best of lists....how wrong those lists are sometimes? and how stupid am I sometimes(don't answer that!)
twelve songs on here, the majoroity of them sound so similar I swear its the same track repeating itself....
just no repeatition, and the vocals get annoying after a while with their Euro-twang with their second language English....
some passable tracks, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: waltz for pony
best track: little numbers

[video=youtube;zsyjS_vJfkw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsyjS_vJfkw[/video]

tracks:

1...this is the beginning *
2...waitress **
3...little numbers **
4...army **
5...drive darling *
6...railway **
7...waltz for pony *
8...boris **
9...oh boy *
10.skin *
11.silver streets **
12.july *

3s=0
2s=6
1s=6

rating: 1.5

[Chriskey2015]

I do by 98degrees

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SAVAGE GARDEN "affirmation" cd, 2000

career stats:
studio albums.............2
singles......................14

this album..................#1 AU...#1 CAN.....#6 US.....#7 UK
singles:
"the animal song"........#3 AU.....#6 CAN......#19 US....#16 UK
"i knew I loved you".....#4 AU.....#1 CAN......#1 US.....#10 UK
"crash and burn"........#16 AU...#12 CAN.....#24 US.....#14 UK
"affirmation"..............#16 AU...#36 CAN......................#8 UK
"chained to you"........#21 AU
"hold me".................#54 AU.....................................#16 UK
"the best thing".................................................. ......#35 UK

Aussie pop duo's second and final album of intelligent pop music...
heartfelt,emotive lyrics on this one and real music....
album sold around eight million worldwide including 8x platinum here in Australia....
a very very good album by one of the best....
shame vocalist Darren Hayes' solo albums never equalled what they did as a duo...

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

worst track: gunning down romance
best track: crash and burn

[video=youtube;xQvQczH750s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQvQczH750s[/video]

tracks:

1...affirmation ***
2...hold me ***
3...I knew I loved you ***
4...the best thing **
5...crash and burn ***
6...chained to you **
7...the animal song ***
8...the lover after me **
9...two beds and a coffee machine **
10.you can still be free **
11.gunning down romance *
12.i don't know you anymore ***

3s=6
2s=5
1s=1

rating: 2.4

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SAM SMITH "in the lonely hour" cd, 2014

album stats..........................#1 UK...#1 AU...#2 US...#2 CAN...#2 SA
singles:
"lay me down"....................#15 UK...#3 AU...#8 US..#10 CAN
"money on my mind"............#1 UK..#51 AU
"stay with me".....................#1 UK....#5 AU...#2 US...#1 CAN
"im not the only one"............#3 UK..#11 AU...#5 US...#2 CAN
"like I can"..........................#9 UK..#20 AU..#99 US.#52 CAN

Sam's debut album that took the world by storm in late '14....
it became the second biggest seller of the year(behind Ed Sheeran's "X")....
mostly its full of piano ballads just like the singles "stay with me" and "lay me down"....
there's a pop song at the beginning and two or three at the end of the album to liven things up...
a couple of the tracks at the end are his versions of tracks he guested on in '14 and were hits in the UK....
worst track for me is called "la la la"...its as annoying as Minnie Ripperton's "loving you" track....
the only other track I don't like on this fourteen track set happens to be one of his UK #1 hits, so who am I to say what sucks!
I haven't heard the guest appearance ones so I cant compare them....
his debut hit "lay me down" was rerecorded this year as a duet with John Legend...I prefer the solo one on this album,
but theres nothing wrong with the Legend one....
all up, a pretty impressive debut set(as long as you like his sound I guess)...
the downside is, I don't know where he will go from this one, I think he has found his sound and that's it so he'll probably
rehash the same sounds over again on his next album(it worked for Ed Sheeranas he refined his sound on "X" over "+" and that worked ok)

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: la la la
best track: lay me down

[video=youtube;HaMq2nn5ac0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaMq2nn5ac0[/video]

tracks:

1...money on my mind *
2...good thing **
3...stay with me ***
4...leave your lover **
5...im not the only one **
6...ive told you now **
7...like I can **
8...life support **
9...not in that way **
10.lay me down ***
11.restart ***
12.latch **
13.la la la *
14.make it to me **

3s=3
2s=9
1s=2

rating: 2.0

[Music Head]

only like about half of this
loved the man until he went totally pop on me
even attempted some near disco stuff when it was in
still respect him for the early years

this duet with Dolly was awesome

[video=youtube;0ls_Za-iv4o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ls_Za-iv4o[/video]

[CRAZY-HORSE]

I like his 60s/70s material and the Dolly duet...
I prefer the Bee Gees version of the song though...

[CRAZY-HORSE]

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD "gold" cd, 2008

career stats:
studio albums.................21
singles...........................69

a double cd, fiftyone track compilation....
this is disc #1 it contains twenty seven of those tracks....
track list is in UK chronological release order and it contains just about every single Dusty
released as a solo artist....
lots of blue-eyed soul music on this one(but more on the next disc....
a good singer with a variety of sounds from the early almost Spector-esque sounds of "i only wanna be with you" to
superb rock/pop ballads like "you don't have to say you love me"....theyre all here....
I honestly expected this to score higher than it did, but hey, it is what it is!

I LIKE THIS DISC

worst track: guess who
best track: I just don't know what to do with myself

[video=youtube;xpsDE6KCY9s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpsDE6KCY9s[/video]

tracks:

[TABLE]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]1. I Only Want to Be with You ***[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]2. Stay Awhile **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]3. Wishin' and Hopin' *** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]4. I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself *** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]5. All Cried Out *[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]6. Losing You ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]7. Guess Who * [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]8. Live It Up ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]9. Your Hurtin' Kinda Love ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]10. In the Middle of Nowhere ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]11. Some of Your Lovin' ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]12. Little by Little ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]13. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me *** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]14. Goin' Back **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]15. All I See Is You *** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]16. I'll Try Anything ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]17. Give Me Time * [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]18. The Look of Love * [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]19. What's It Gonna Be ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]20. I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]21. If You Go Away **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]22. Magic Garden **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]23. I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]24. I Will Come to You **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]25. Love Power **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]26. Take Another Little Piece of My Heart ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]27. I Think It's Gonna Rain Today **

3s=5
2s=18
1s=4

rating: 2.0[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

[CRAZY-HORSE]

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD "gold" cd, 2008

career stats:
studio albums.................21
singles...........................69

second disc of the double disc set.....
this one concentrates on the period 1968-onwards....
it includes her Pet Shop Boy collaborations and also solo singlesinto the 1990s....
overall its on par with the first disc...
and when you hear the tracks from the late '80s and '90s you can hear that she has lost none of her vocals over the decades...

I LIKE THIS DISC

worst track: lost
best track: how can I be sure

[video=youtube;jEKHZ02R6eU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEKHZ02R6eU[/video]

tracks:

[TABLE]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]1. Son of a Preacher Man ***[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]2. Don't Forget About Me **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]3. Breakfast in Bed ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]4. I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]5. The Windmills of Your Mind ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]6. Am I the Same Girl * [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]7. In the Land of Make Believe * [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]8. Brand New Me **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]9. Silly, Silly Fool **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]10. I Wanna Be a Free Girl ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]11. Lost *[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]12. How Can I Be Sure *** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]13. Spooky *** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]14. What Good Is I Love You *** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]15. Haunted ***[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]16. I Believe in You ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]17. I Wish That Love Would Last * [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]18. What Have I Done to Deserve This? **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]19. Nothing Has Been Proved * [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]20. In Private ***[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]21. Reputation ***[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]22. Arrested by You ** [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowEven"]
[TD]23. Wherever Would I Be **[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: listRowOdd"]
[TD]24. Roll Away **

3s=7
2s=12
1s=5

rating: 2.1[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]